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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28349928">A Garden Just for Us</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/xblackrequiemx/pseuds/Saerandipity707'>Saerandipity707 (xblackrequiemx)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Mystic Messenger (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>But mostly fluff, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Flowers, Gen, Ray is a cutie, because we all wanted that picnic date to happen, garden dates and flower languages, just soft</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 20:47:47</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,472</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28349928</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/xblackrequiemx/pseuds/Saerandipity707</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Because Ray deserves love and happiness, and because we all wanted that picnic date to happen.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Choi Saeran &amp; Main Character, Choi Saeran &amp; Reader, Choi Saeran/Main Character, Choi Saeran/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>72</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Garden Just for Us</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is for all the lovely flowers in @believerRayK006's garden! I hope you all find a little something to smile about in this picnic date with our favorite prince. ❀</p><p>Note: I tried to avoid using pronouns for MC, but I did describe MC wearing a black dress like she does in Ray's route. I hope this doesn't make anyone feel uncomfortable. Please feel free to imagine something else you normally wear, because no matter what, you're cute as heck and Ray would love you! ♡</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ray honestly hadn’t expected something like this to happen. Before you came here, he had only seen you as someone he could utilize to accomplish his goal of infiltrating the RFA. He had chosen his tester carefully, examined your online interactions and patterns in your behavior to recruit a person who was both kind and sincere enough to magnetize the RFA members … and tormented and lonely enough that they could belong with the Mint Eye as well. So that he could prove his own usefulness, he would use you. That was what he had decided.</p><p>Of course, he always planned to treat you well. He had gone to great lengths to prepare a room that would feel like such an enchanting fantasy, you would never want to leave it. From the moment he met you and saw the way your eyes shone and heard your soul-healing laughter, he felt a drive to care for you. He even bought a recipe book so he could learn to cook meals you would enjoy. But at some point, he had stopped thinking of you as “the tester” and more like <i>his</i> tester.</p><p>So, maybe he had been a little too hasty in getting closer to you.</p><p>Once your feelings for each other became clear, you told him you first wanted to spend more time with each other. Ray could think of a thousand things he wanted to do with you. He wanted to show you through his garden, pointing out each flower and explaining their languages. He daydreamed about napping next to you after a long, hard day of work––maybe even holding hands, so he would drift to sleep feeling warm and safe. You could read a book together, something that would take you on an adventure to another world, somewhere far away from here….</p><p>His overloaded schedule wouldn’t allow him to do most of those things. But he did bring you meals when he could, so maybe it would be possible for him to spend a little more time with you at lunch.</p><p>
  <i>“A picnic sounds nice.”</i>
</p><p>He smiled to himself, replaying your words over and over in his mind. Although you had told him not to push himself too hard, he couldn’t help but get excited about the idea of having a picnic with you, sharing food spread out on a blanket under a blue sky. His furor motivated him to finish the week’s work in record time, so he could spend more time preparing for your … dare he call it a date?</p><p>The first dilemma was what food he should bring. He racked his brain trying to remember any time you mentioned which foods you like or how you had reacted to the meals he brought you. He knew you struggled to eat at times, so maybe something light and refreshing would be best. Oh, but he wanted to treat you, too. Would dessert be too much? He figured ice cream wouldn’t sit well in a picnic basket, and cake might be too heavy–––</p><p>And where should you have the picnic? Picnics were typically outdoors, but should he bring an umbrella to shield you from the sun? What if it rained? Would the picnic be ruined? What would he wear? He thought he should wear something different, but you seemed to be fond of his usual “princely” ensemble. He wondered what you would wear—maybe something elegant to match his outfit. Maybe you’d wear that simple but lovely black dress you seemed to like. He liked it, too, how striking it made you look, how it didn’t distract from the natural beauty he saw in your face. Maybe he’d pick a blue rose for you and make a corsage to match the one on his own jacket….</p><p>As he got distracted daydreaming, he tried to rehearse what he would say to you, from the time he knocked on your door to when he would bid you goodbye. He ran different lines over and over in his head while he prepared the food.</p><p>
  <i>“Princess, your prince is here to steal you away.”</i>
</p><p>Too cheesy?</p><p>
  <i>“I’ve looked forward to this day all week, and your smile alone has made it worth it.”</i>
</p><p>But he’s not charming enough for a line like that—and besides, what if you didn’t smile? </p><p>
  <i>“If you were a flower, every royal garden would hunger after you.”</i>
</p><p>… <i>Definitely</i> not.</p><p>By the time the day arrived, he still hadn’t settled on an opening line. He was so busy mentally preparing himself on the way to your room that he nearly forgot the picnic blanket and had to retrace his steps back to his room, passing other Believers and mumbling to himself about his airheadedness all the way.</p><p>Planning everything down to the last detail had consumed his mind over the last several days. He was terrified of messing things up and making you hate him, yes—but more than that, his mind was filled with happy thoughts. The anticipation got him through every sleepless night spent working at his computer and every bewildered look the Believers shot his way. None of it mattered. He was over the moon looking forward to the time he would spend with you.</p><p>He arrived at your door holding a picnic basket that seemed a little too heavy and a blanket slung over his arm. He had settled on his usual outfit and hoped you wouldn’t be disappointed to see the same old Ray. He idled for a moment outside your door, wondering how he should announce himself.</p><p>“Who is it?” your voice called from within, sounding hopeful, as if you already knew the answer.</p><p>He jumped at the sound, caught off guard. This was just like last time. He hadn’t meant to linger outside your room, but you always seemed to know he was there. He had begun to stutter out a response when the door opened.</p><p>It must have been his imagination that your eyes lit up with stars as soon as you saw him.</p><p>Ray’s breath caught in his throat. You smiled demurely at him, cheeks full and dusted a rosy color that made you look utterly adorable. Your hair, which he had almost always seen worn down, was tied up with a black ribbon, your bangs still framing your face and giving you a youthful but refined appearance. Once he realized that you were wearing the outfit he had picked out for you after you arrived, his brain nearly short-circuited. He hadn’t seen you wear it before and assumed it wasn’t to your liking. But the black dress, with its flared skirt and lace sleeves, made you look even more beautiful than he imagined it would.</p><p>You really did look like a princess.</p><p>He had completely forgotten what he’d planned to say, instead tripping over himself in a muttering mess. In his head, he derided himself for being hopeless enough to mess things up this early. A single sound eased his mind.</p><p>“Ray!” you beamed.</p><p>You said it just like you always did, as if despite his frequent absence and general awkwardness, you hadn’t lost interest in him yet.</p><p>He met your eyes and gave a bashful smile back.</p><p>“I’m sorry,” he professed. “I didn’t expect you to look so … Well, yes, I expected you to look bea– to look nice, but—–”</p><p>“You look really nice, too, Ray.”</p><p>You had to have been stretching the truth. He looked the same as he always did. But you still looked away shyly, and he thought he saw the blush in your cheeks grow a little deeper.</p><p>“Do you need me to help carry anything?” you asked suddenly, stepping through the door.</p><p>He wanted to decline, or at least let you carry the blanket, but you reached for the heftier basket instead. He tried to protest, but to his surprise, you held it with ease. Maybe he was just too weak to handle it, or you were a lot stronger than he thought.</p><p>He stood a bit awkwardly with just the blanket in his hands, flustered that none of this was going quite as he planned. However, once you fell into step beside him and the two of you set off, things started to feel natural again.</p><p>He had decided the garden would be the most suitable place for a picnic—partly because of the scenery, partly because it offered a more secluded area where you wouldn’t be bothered, and partly because he knew being surrounded by his flowers would put him the most at ease.</p><p>As he led you to the arbor and the two of you began to set up, he recalled the last time you were in the garden together. His cheeks flushed when he remembered how it felt to have you that close, and how much he wanted to feel that again. It didn’t seem like you’d hated it, either. In fact, you were the first to say that you wanted to kiss him again. It felt like you were both overly eager for more but making an effort to take things slow. After all, that’s why you were here, having a picnic together: to try to spend more time together before diving in too deep.</p><p>He hadn’t considered kissing you in his plan for the day, but still he wondered if it would happen—and hoped quietly that it would, whether it be today or another day.</p><p>Once the blanket was laid out and both of you sat down, he watched as you made yourself comfortable and straightened the folds of your dress. A few moments passed as he tried to take in your presence once more, this time without being caught off guard. Your hair had taken on a golden glow in the sun, and in the light, he could make out the slightest peppering of freckles on your cheeks. He hadn’t really paid attention to this detail before, and he was overwhelmed by the knowledge that he still had so much more to learn about you.</p><p>You looked back at him, and his heartbeat sped up just a little. He cleared his throat and brought your attention to the basket sitting before you.</p><p>“I … brought some things for us to eat,” he announced, kicking himself internally for stating the obvious.</p><p>You glanced at the basket curiously, so he opened it and presented the food he had made (not without some trial and error in the kitchen).</p><p>“Lemonade to drink,” he explained as he removed a tall container and set it down next to the basket. “I know you like tea, but I thought maybe this would be more refreshing….”</p><p>He glanced your way to gauge your reaction. You seemed giddy, clapping your hands together in front of you as you looked down at the drink container eagerly.</p><p>“I love lemonade!” you exclaimed.</p><p>“R-really?” he said, relaxing a bit. “I wasn’t sure, but you said you like fruit and sweet things, so….”</p><p>“Yes! Strawberry lemonade is my favorite.”</p><p>“Ah, well, it’s just regular lemonade,” he said, almost apologetically. Then he added, “Next time. I’ll make strawberry next time.”</p><p>Your eyes glimmered with a childlike glee at this promise, and he had to tell himself not to sigh out loud at how cute you were.</p><p>Next came the sandwiches, which he had cut into neat, small portions. Then he revealed the watermelon and peanut butter bars—the latter of which had definitely not come out looking the way he imagined, but tasted fine all the same. Last, he presented dessert: cheesecake topped with fruit, and lemon cookies. With each food he presented, he nervously watched your reaction and hoped he had made the right choices.</p><p>You took in the bounty of food in awe, and for a moment, he worried he’d brought too much food and made you feel overwhelmed. You gave him a wide-eyed stare.</p><p>“You made all of this?”</p><p>“Oh … yes.” He paused, then admitted, “Cooking was a lot harder than I thought, though, so it took a few tries. Hopefully … hopefully it’s all to your liking.”</p><p>He glanced at you out of the corner of his eye, looking sheepish when he saw the look of not amazement but concern on your face.</p><p><i>Go ahead,</i> he thought. <i>Call me an idiot. Tell me I’m useless, that I shouldn’t have even bothered.</i></p><p>“<i>Ray</i>,” you chided, making him wince. “I said I don’t want you to push yourself. You already work so hard….”</p><p>When he looked back at you, he didn’t see a dark scowl on your face, but downcast eyes and a look of guilt. You didn’t seem upset or angry, just worried and perhaps ashamed that he’d gone to such trouble for you. He almost preferred that you be angry.</p><p>“It didn’t take long,” he insisted. “I just … really wanted to make you happy….”</p><p>Your gaze softened.</p><p>“I am happy,” you assured him, giving him a small, sweet smile. “Just promise me you’ll take care of yourself, too.”</p><p>He struggled for an answer to this, overwhelmed that you’d yet again expressed concern for <i>him</i>, of all people. Maybe you weren’t a princess, but an angel.</p><p>“I will,” he said simply.</p><p>You didn’t seem completely convinced, but you nodded anyway.</p><p>“Good.”</p><p>He paused to take a breath and clear his mind after this misstep, then reached into the basket again.</p><p>“Um, there’s one more thing,” he said, face growing warm as he averted his eyes from your doe-eyed stare.</p><p>Finally, he revealed a small bouquet of brilliant yellow flowers.</p><p>The way your face lit up made him completely forget how upset you’d sounded before. Daintily, you took the flowers from his hands, eyes dancing at the unexpected gesture.</p><p>“They’re beautiful,” you said quietly with a smile. His cheeks flushed in response, but he felt a burst of confidence.</p><p>“Seeing your face makes me think I chose flowers with the perfect meaning.”</p><p>“Tulips? What do they mean?” you asked, tipping your head slightly to the side. <i>So cute.</i></p><p>“Yellow tulips are a symbol of hope and cheerful thoughts,” he explained. “In old days, it meant … ‘There is sunshine in your smile.’”</p><p>A wistful look passed over your face, and he could practically see your chest swell with affection. He wondered if you ever felt butterflies when he spoke, too.</p><p>Feeling the overwhelming emotion between you, he cleared his throat to break the silence.</p><p>“Different colors have different meanings, of course,” he went on. “If I make a mistake or upset you, for example, I might give you white tulips to ask for forgiveness. And if I ever give you red tulips, it means…”</p><p>He trailed off, only just realizing what he was about to say. But it was too late, and you pressed him to finish.</p><p>“…perfect and eternal love. It means I’m formally declaring my love for you.”</p><p>He glanced at you cautiously again, hoping what he’d just said wasn’t too much. He remembered when you had first arrived and, without being able to explain why, he picked a bouquet of red roses for you. <i>“I love you.”</i> He hadn’t thought about it that way at the time; he simply saw the blooms in the garden and thought of you. But you’d expressed that you wanted to take your time with each other. He already believed that his feelings for you couldn’t possibly get any stronger no matter how much more time you spent together, but he was afraid you would think he was moving too fast and expecting too much.</p><p>Right now, though, you were looking at him as if he meant the world to you. He was sure he was overthinking it, but he was happy to see you smile like this anyway.</p><p>He realized you had been staring at each other for a while. Suddenly, the air felt heavy with an awkward tension. As he gazed into your eyes, he struggled for the right words to say.</p><p>
  <i>“I want to kiss you again….”</i>
</p><p>He hadn’t imagined those words when you’d sent them. He’d read your message over and over to make sure he hadn’t misunderstood. When he took a break from his work to check his phone, he would sometimes look back at that conversation to again make sure he wasn’t dreaming. But no … you’d really said it. <i>You</i> wanted to kiss <i>him. Again.</i></p><p>He wanted to be the one to take charge this time. He felt like such an idiot for running off the way he did back then. He wanted so much to show you how he felt. He wondered briefly if this was the right moment.</p><p>When his gaze drifted from your eyes and cute little nose to your lips, however, his face grew hot and his thoughts ground to a halt. Hurriedly, he averted his gaze and leaned away, drawing your attention to the food laid out before you.</p><p>“Sh-shall we eat, then?”</p><p>The two of you tried a little of everything he made. He was overjoyed every time you complimented him on the taste and for working so hard to put everything together. He didn’t miss the way you’d been eyeing the cheesecake, smiling to himself at the thought that you must also have a sweet tooth like him.</p><p>“Do you want to try it?” he asked, offering you a bit. You eagerly obliged, and he watched intently as you took a bite. He hadn’t tried the cheesecake himself yet. He barely had time to prepare it, but knew he couldn’t just not bring dessert to a picnic.</p><p>“H-how does it taste?” he asked nervously.</p><p>You grinned at him with round cheeks as you finished the bite.</p><p>“Really good!” you chimed. “Not too rich, either.”</p><p>He breathed a light sigh of relief. Good, he hadn’t messed anything up this time.</p><p>“Do you want a bite?” you asked, interrupting his thoughts.</p><p>When he looked back, you were holding out a forkful of cheesecake for him with an inviting look on your face. He reached out to take it from your hands, but as he did, you leaned forward to put it at his mouth. He hesitated for a moment, then let you feed him. He was barely able to focus on the taste of the treat as he locked eyes with you again. This was … what couples did, wasn’t it? He could feel his ears getting hot and hoped you couldn’t see how red they must be.</p><p>You broke the gaze as you turned your attention back to the food, chattering about how the lemon cookies would taste really refreshing alongside the fruit, as if nothing had happened.</p><p>Despite his worries about rain or wind, the weather had turned out to be perfect today. It was just mild enough without being too warm. (You often wore black, and the layers beneath his coat tended to get hot.) The skies were slightly cloudy but not too dreary, so after you got full, you both leaned back to gaze up at the clouds while you talked about simple things.</p><p>He understood now why you had said it would be important for you two to spend more time with each other. Every little thing he learned about you—your favorite foods, the type of weather you liked best, your hobbies, your past jobs, that you liked cats and dogs and piano music, the way you started talking faster when you got on a subject you were passionate about, the way your eyes scrunched when you laughed—made you even more special in his eyes. After a while, he even stopped worrying about whether what he had to say was boring or if you thought he was strange or overwhelming. He didn’t think talking to you could be this easy. You were at once the most comforting and most nerve-wracking person in the world to talk to. But right now, he felt he could sit here beneath the sky and talk to you forever.</p><p>Finally, you discovered something you disagreed on when he brought up craving mint chip ice cream. While you were ranting about how people “aren’t supposed to eat toothpaste,” he couldn’t help but chuckle in response. He shifted his weight, suddenly feeling his hand brush against yours on the blanket.</p><p>Both of you froze, and he wondered if he should detract his hand and play it off. After a moment of indecision, he reached for your hand and took it in his. He made himself keep staring up at the sky, afraid to see your reaction. But soon, he felt you intertwine your fingers in his.</p><p>He could not explain the light feeling in his chest that followed, only that he always felt so safe and at peace—maybe even happy—when he was with you.</p><p>He glanced over at you, feeling his heart thump when you turned to meet his gaze. Looking at your expectant expression, he could feel his cheeks were tinted pink again and his heart seemed to beat a little faster. <i>Stop blushing like an idiot. Say something.</i> He was nervous, so nervous, but he felt safe enough now to confess a forbidden thought with you anyway.</p><p>“I really like you,” he said.</p><p>He could practically see you glowing as you smiled back and said, teasingly, “I really, <i>really</i> like you.”</p><p>He laughed. He was learning how quirky and playful you could be. Perhaps he could learn to play along.</p><p>“Well, I really, really, <i>really</i> like you.”</p><p>Not to be outdone, you continued the game, leaning forward to goad him on.</p><p>“Well I reallyreallyreally<i>really</i> like you!”</p><p>He wasn’t sure when it happened, but your faces were inches apart now, sharing laughter and smiles. He hadn’t really seen your eyes this close before. He knew your eyes had a gleam to them, but this close, he could see how they sparkled—a constellation meant only for him. More than the sound of the breeze and birds around them, he became aware of the sound of his pounding heart. It was as if Magenta and the world outside had faded away, leaving the two of you at peace in the garden for this moment. His voice lowered, becoming more sincere as the two of you leaned in closer.</p><p>“I really… really… real––– ”</p><p>Before he could finish, your lips touched.</p><p>He thought you may have started it again––he wasn’t sure––but he made certain he was the one to take charge and press in closer to seal the kiss. It felt gentle and chaste like before, but this time, he understood what it meant. You liked him, maybe even as much as he liked you. He had dreamt of it but never thought it possible. Something in him screamed to pull back, to push you away and run before you proved him wrong. But he tried not to be afraid and focused on the feel of your soft lips against his, something he couldn’t appreciate last time.</p><p>Soon, he couldn’t think about what it all meant, whether the two of you should be doing this or not, or how dangerous it was for him to care about someone this much. Instead, his mind numbed as he was enveloped by the feel of you.</p><p>You pulled apart slowly, the rest of the world filtering back into existence. His mind tried to catch up. He felt dizzy again, and he was finding it difficult to breathe. But you looked just as nervous and eager as he did. Although he instinctively wanted to dive back in, he let his hands drift through your hair instead. He swallowed.</p><p>“Can I kiss you again?”</p><p>He felt silly as soon as he said it. You just kissed, didn’t you? But you seemed overwhelmed with joy as you smiled even brighter.</p><p>“Since you asked so nicely,” you giggled.</p><p>He smiled and kissed you again, longer this time. When you drifted apart, you slid in closer to him, nearly leaning into his lap.</p><p>“I should have asked the first time,” you said, “but can I kiss <i>you</i>?”</p><p>He considered joking back with the same line you gave him, but he thought maybe you were the one person in the world who wouldn’t have to ask for his permission.</p><p>“I’m glad you did,” he said. “If you asked back then, I might have said no….”</p><p>A look of concern crossed your face, so he quickly added, “Not because I don’t like you, or don’t want to. Because … I’m scared. And I think I don’t deserve you. And because I don’t want you to go away….”</p><p>He didn’t explain any further, not sure if you’d understand that people coming close usually made him want to push them away—that even now, he was terrified he’ll let his guard down and you’ll abandon him someday, drop him and walk away like he never mattered at all. Everyone always does.</p><p>The look on your face was so gentle, it was almost as if you understood what he meant after all.</p><p>“I’m not going anywhere,” you promised.</p><p>Your voice was so warm as you stroked his hair and traced his jaw with your thumb. His mind began to stutter. It was everything he wanted to hear, and yet he was still so afraid it was a lie. No one would ever want to stay with him, would they? But he just wanted those thoughts to go away right now. He just wanted to be with you in this moment.</p><p>“Please kiss me,” he said.</p><p>You do, and his mind is silent once more.</p><p>He wasn’t sure how long you two were locked together. At some point, you both ended up laying down on the blanket, still kissing, the food long left abandoned. At times you broke apart to cradle each other and gaze up at the sky in content silence. Then eventually, one of you would look at the other, and then you were kissing again. Most of them were small, shy pecks and gentle smiles. Others went on for what was probably only minutes but felt like hours, lazily holding each other and rubbing your hands along each other’s backs as your mouths moved together.</p><p>Despite the nagging fear that maybe this was too much, maybe you were moving too fast, he couldn’t bring himself to stop it. He wished this could go on forever. He really thought he could spend an entire day laying with you and kissing you and nothing else. But as the sun started to dip in the sky, he knew his presence would be needed elsewhere soon.</p><p>“We should … probably head back,” he admitted, although it was clear in his voice he’d rather never go back.</p><p>Reluctantly, the two of you packed up, sharing few words but dazed smiles. You walked together back to your room, your arms clutching the yellow tulips close to your chest.</p>
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